Propelling mechanism for airships and the like



March 25 1924. 1,487,872-

c. w. MANZEL PROPELLING MECHANISM FOR AIRSHIPS ANb THE LIKE Filed Sept. 2, 1919 s Sheets-Sheet 1 OOyO'OOO OOOO'HLO O (DI IO O OHO O 0 CH0 0 one D" lnz/e 725 023 Maw 25 11924. I L487,872

' C. W. MANZEL PROPELLING MECHANISM FOR AIRSHIPS AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 2, 1919 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 r X I I March 25 ,[1-924'. 1,487,872

c. w. MANZEL PROPELLING MECHANISM FOR AIRSHIPS AND THE LIKE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 mm WI/ll! wmm.

I v 4I1zven2'af Patented Mar. 25, 1924.

raters CHARLESL'W. MA'NZEL, OF BUFFALO, NEW YGRK.

PROPELLING MECHANISM FOR A'IBSHIPS AND TEE LIKEL Application filed September Ta all whom it may concern." I

Be it lrnown that 1, CHARLES 1V. hlANznL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of E 'ie and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Propelling Mechanism for Airships and the like, of which the following is a specification.

Thisinvention relates to a propelling mechanism generally applicable to aircraft, marine ships, wind and water motors, as well as blowers and ventilators, although the same is particularly useful for elevating and propellingaeroplanes and air-ships.

The object of the invention is the production of a propelling mechanism of this character which affords great lifting'force and propelling power in proportion to its diameter and weight, so that asufficient number of propelling units properly disposed upon an air-ship or other air-craft will ele vate and propel-it without the use of wings, planes or buoyant gas, a-nd also permit the ascent of theship from land or water directly in a vertical or any other desired direction, aswell as its descent in the same manner within any space large enough to contain the ship, without requiring a special landing field or mooring mast.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is atop plan view of an air ship equipped with the propeller. Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof. Figure 3 is a: front view of the ship. Figure a is an enlarged top plan view, partly in section, ofone of the propelling units and its driving and controlling mechanism. Figure 5 is a sectional side elevation of said unit. Figure 6 is a longitudinal section on line 66, Fig. 4. Figure 7 sectional topplan view of one of sucld units, one further enlarged scale. Figure 8 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the .hub of the nitary propeller-frame. Figure 9 is a cross sectimrthereof on line 99, Fig. 8. Figure 10- is a: cross section of a modified form ofthe propeller blade.

Similar characters of reference indicate r(ii'i'espei1(lii1g parts throughout the several views.

also be provided with landing legs or struts 2,1919.- Seria1'No.321,008'.

11 on opposite sides ofits keeltoenable the ship to descend upon land or water.

The propelling units are preferably disposed in two rows orseries, one or more at each side-of theship, as shown. Each unit comprises'a rotary frame, wheel or spider 12- mounted on a shaft 18 arranged transversely of the hull, and a plurality of propeller blades 22;-preferably two oppositelyarranged pairs, carried by said frame. These blades are rotated relatively to the frame'12- in such a manner as to have a feathering action, being presented broadsides to the atmosphere, or nearly so, during the greater part oftheir cycle of revolution with the frame 12, and edgewise during the remainder thereof. suitable mechanism may be employed for this purpose, but that shown in the drawings is preferred, its construction being as follows:

As the several propeller-units are identical, a description ofone will apply to all. The main driving shaft 13 of the unit is hollow and journaledin a casing or housing 15 arranged principally within the hull. The shaft is driven by a plurality of engines 16, those shown being gasoline motors of the -type from which power is transmitted to said shaft by bevel gears 17, 18. The rotary frame has two hollow arms 12 extending from opposite sides of its hub 12 which is hollow or chambered, and each arm is provided at its free end with a hollow head or enlargement 19 containing suitable ball bearings 20 for a transverse propeller shaft 21 arranged parallel with the main shaft 13.

lThese bearings are preferably of the self aligning and self-contained type shown. The shaft 21 extends beyond both sides of the frame arms 12 and carries a pair of propelling blades 22 which are rigidly secured thereto to turn therewith.

Arranged axially within the hollow main shaft 13 is a normally-stationary controlling shaft 23 extending into the chambcred hub 12 and having 11XQCl thereto a bevel. gear 2 1 witlrwhich mesh :1: pair of beveled planet gears 25, 26, respectively secured to rotary transmission shafts 27, 28, journaled in the arms of the rotary frame. li'lotion is transm-it-ted from each of the last-named shafts to the corresponding propeller shaft 21 by bevel gears-29, 30, fined to-said shafts. By this gear-train the propeller-shafts are caused to turn on their own axes while revolving. with the wheel-frame 12, the ratio of the gears 24, 25, 26 being such that the propeller-shaft rotates at half the speed of the wheel-frame in order to 'give the pro peller-blades a feathering action, as hereinafter more fully described.

Each of the propeller-blades is preferably mounted centrally on its shaft 21 so that the blade extends on opposite sides thereof, substantially at right angles thereto. In its preferred form, the blade has the form of a double or compound curve crosswise thereof, as best shown in Fig. 5, but for some purposes it may be straight or fiat-sided, as shown at 22 in Fig. 10. In said preferred form, each half of the doubly-curved blade is concave or cambered on its face, as shown at 22 to effectively grip and compress the air as it sweeps through it and increase the elevating and propelling power of the blade. The back of each halfof the blade is preferably convex, as shown at 22. At its ends each blade may be provided with end walls or flanges 22 which project beyond both sides thereof, practically forming with the bladebody a pair of oppositely facing pockets or camber-chambers which check slippage of the air from the ends thereof. The opposing sides of the end flanges of each blade preferably converge toward the blade-shaft, as shown in Fig. 7. The end flanges or walls are preferably elliptical or almond shaped with their major axis substantially parallel with the double cambered blades, as shown.

By this double-pointed construction, these walls offer comparatively little resistance as they pass edgewise through the air and at the same time hold a greater air cushion near the center of the blades because of their increased width at that point.

As shown in Fig. 5, each blade as a whole is thickest in its central portion and gradually diminishes in thickness toward both of its free edges. This construction, together with the stream-line form produced by the smoothly merging concave and convex surfaces of each blade, causes the latter to cleave the air with greater facility and reduces its resistance on its return stroke.

shafts and the main driving shaft. The de vices preferred for this purpose comprises an adjusting shaft 31', provided with a hand wheel 32 and a worm 38 which meshes with a worm wheel 34 secured to the controlling shaft 23, whereby upon turning the shaft 31 in one or the other direction, the two 7 pairs of propeller blades of the same rotary frame 12 are simultaneously adjusted to the desired angle, this movement of theshaft 23 being transmitted to the propeller-shafts through the radial shafts 27, 28. The wormgearing 33, 34 retains the control shaft 23 V in adjusted position.

A suitable indicator for predetermining on the shafts' 27 and 28. For this purpose,

the outer bearing members of the radial shafts 27,- 28 are shiftable longitudinally in the arms 12 to a limited extent, and thecorresponding bearing-members of the normally non-rotary shaft23 are likewise shiftable in the hub 12". V A rotary screw nut 39 held against lateral displacement in said hub, engages an external screw thread 40 of the outer ring 41 of the outside hub-bearing,

this nut having wor'm teeth 42 engaged by a worm 43. Upon rotating the latter in the proper direction, said outside bearing is.

shifted outwardly, moving the shaft 23 in; the same direction and causing its bevel gear 24 to wedge or further spread the bevel. gears 25, 26" of the radial shafts 27, 28,

thereby simultaneously moving the gears 29 of the latter into close engagement withthe bevel gears 30 of the propeller shafts and taking up wear. 7 p

In practlce, each propeller unlt is driven ice in the direction of the large arrow in Fig. 5. r

The two pairs or sets'of blades revolve with the wheel-frame 12 about'its axis 13 and at the same time turn on their own axes 21, making a half turn for each complete revolution of the frame and assuming the various positions indicated by the full'and dotted lines inFig. 5. It will be noted that in the horizontal position of the frame-arms shown in said figure, the left-hand blades present their broad undersides to the air, compressing it and lifting the ship. As those blades pass rearwardly through the lower are of their orbit, they assume increasingly inclined positions during which they exert a pulling or propelling action, while when they reach the end of that lower are, they assume a substantially vertical position, passing edgewise through the; air and offering the minimum resistance. Con: (inning upwardly through the upper half or are of theirorbit, the blades which have now made a half turn, compress the air in frontof them and again exert a propelling force, the blades gradually returning'to their horizontal or broadside position first mentioned. The small arrows at one end of the blades in Fig. indicate theirdirection of rotation; and pointed symbols 44 have been placed upon the other ends of the blades to aid the reader in conveniently following the reversing movements of the blades.

Compared with the ordinary screw propellers in common use, this improved propeller has the great advantage of permitting a practically unlimited lateral extension or lengthening of the blade in the direction of its shaft, thus presenting a correspondingly increased blade-area within a given size or diameter and exerting a proportionately greater lifting and propelling power.

Owing to their construction and their feathering action, the blades compress the air throughout practically nine-tenths of their orbit. They scoop the air with their concave or cambered undersides after leaving the zero or feathering position and displace and compress the air on the opposite or discharge side of the circle, the upper side of the blade creating a partialvacuum which causes the air tobe replaced by atmospheric pressure from the inlet side of the circle. By mounting and driving the reversely-oambered blades as hereinbefore described, the effective, concave side of each blade-member is caused to face the direction of travel of the rotary frame 12 when projecting from the outer side of the propeller shaft and while on the working side of said frame, with the result that each half or member of the blade is located farthest from the axis of the frame when in such effective position, thus moving in a circular path of maximum diameter and displacing a correspondingly greater amount of air.

The doubly-curved blades permit the use of smoothly-running spiral bevel gears for rotating the blades relatively to the framearms without creating any oscillating or re ciprocating motion which causes destructive vibration at high speeds. This advantage is further attained by the evenly-balancedconstruction and arrangement of the blades.

By means of the controlling shaft 28, the position of the blades can be adjusted, not only to change their angularity for speed control but they can be turned sufficiently to cause them to exert their force in the opposite direction and reverse the direct-ion of travel of the air-ship, without reversing the main driving shaft or the propeller-shafts.

The ship can be steered by increasing the speed of the middle propellers at either side, and its elevation fore or aft can be likewise controlled by the corresponding sets of propellers.

To reduce their resistance, the heads of the arms 12 are preferably stream lined or of ovalor lenticular cross section as shown, and the arms are of similar construction. As shown in'Figs. 3 and 5, these'oval armsare arranged with their major axis in a plane at right angles to the main shaft 13. By this form, the arms offer the least resistance 111 operation and also serve to deflect the air into the path of the propeller-blades.

Owing to the elevating, as well as propelling force of the propellers, an air ship equipped with them requires no wlngs,

planes or buoyant gas chambers of any kind, and it can ascend vertically from land or water, as well as descend in the same direction into a limited area without requiring a landing field or mooring mast.

Storms and other unfavorable weather conditions will have comparatively little effect on the ship, because it has no superstructure and no great wing spans.

Such propellers will exert a greater pressure or lifting power on. the air than can be developed by the combined effect of the ordinary screw propeller and the wings or planes of the present type of aeroplanes, and at the same time produce greater speed from the same horsepower or expenditure of energy.

The construction and principle of operation of this propeller is obviously applicable to various other driving and driven struc tures, such as wind and water wheels or motors, blowers and ventilators, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the particular use and application of the invent-ion herein shown and described.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with the body of an air ship or the like, of propelling mechanism comprising a rotar T shaft arranged crosswise. of the ship, a frame mounted on said shaft to turn therewith, a rotary shaft mounted on said frame parallel with said frame-shaft and carrying a propeller blade, a normally stationary controlling shaft extending lengthwise of said franie shaft, a transmission shaft mounted radially on said frame, and gearing connecting said transmission shaft with said controlling and propeller shafts. 4

2. The combination with the body of an air ship or the like, of propelling mechanism comprising a rotary shaft arranged crosswise of the ship, a frame mounted on said shaft to turn therewith, a rotary shaft mounted on said frame parallel with said frame-shaft and carrying a propeller blade, a normally stationary-controlling shaft extending lengthwise of said frame-shaft, a transmission shaft mounted radially on said frame, gearing connecting said transmission shaft with said controlling and propeller shafts, and adjusting means for manually rotating said controlling shaft to change the angle of the propeller blade.

3. The combination with the body of an air ship or the like, of propelling mechanism comprising a rotary shaft arranged crosswise of the ship, a frame mounted on said shaft to turn therewith, a rotary shaft mounted on said frame parallel. with said frame-shaft and carryinga cambered prolid peller blade, said blade being mounted centrally on said shaft and the portion thereof extending from one side of the shaft being cambered in the reverse direction to the pol tion extending from the opposite side of said shaft, a normally stationary controlling shaft extending lengthwise of said frame shaft, a transmission shaft mounted radially on said frame, and gear elements connecting said transmission shaft with said controlling and propeller shafts, said gear elements being of a ratio to rotate the propeller shaft at half the speed of said frame.

t. Propelling mechanism of the character described, comprising a hollow driving shaft, a hollow arm mounted on said shaft, a rotary propeller shaft mounted on the free end of said arm parallel with said driving shaft and carrying a propeller, a normally-stationary controlling shaft arranged lengthwise within said driving shaft, and a transmission shaft arranged lengthwise within said hollow arm and geared at its inner end to said controlling shaft and at its opposite end to said propeller shaft.

Propelling mechanism of the character described, comprising a hollow driving shaft, a hollow arm mounted on said shaft, a. rotary propeller shaft mounted on the free end of said arm parallel with said driving shaft, and carrying a propeller, a normally-stationary controlling shaft arranged lengthwise within said driving shaft and having a worm wheel, an adjusting shaft having a worm engaging said worm wheel, and a transmission shaft arranged lengthwise within said hollow arm and geared at its inner end to said controlling shaft and at its opposite end to said propeller shaft.

6. In an air ship or the like, propelling and lifting mechanism including a rotary frame, a rotary shaft mounted on said frame substantially parallel with the axis thereof, and a double propeller-blade secured centrally to said shaft, the portions of said blade extending on opposite sides of said shaft being reversely cambered, and means for completely rotating said blade relatively to said rotary frame.

7. The combination with the body of an air ship or the like, of propelling mechanism comprising a rotary frame, a propeller shaft mounted on said frame substantially parallel with its axis, and a double propellerblade secured centrally to said shaft, the portions of'said blade extending on opposite sides of said shaft being reversely cambered, and means for relatively actuating said rotary elements at the ratio of substantially two revolutions of said frame for one revolution of said blade, whereby the cambered blade-portions alternately compress the air, the one during one revolution of said frame and the other during the next revolution thereof.

8. The combination with an air ship or the like, of propelling and lifting mechanism, comprising a rotary main shaft arranged transversely of the ship, a frame mounted on said shaft to turn therewith, a rotary propeller-shaft journaled on said frame substantially parallel with said main shaft, a double blade secured centrally to said propeller-shaft, the portions of said blade extending on opposite sides of the propeller shaft being reversely cambered, and means for relatively actuating said rotary elements at thezratio of substantially two revolutions of said frame for one revolution of said blade, whereby the camberedblade-portions alternately compress the air, the one during one revolution of said frame and the other during the next revolution thereof. I

9. In an air ship or the like, propelling and lifting mechanism including a rotary frame, a rotary shaft mounted on said frame, substantially parallel with the axis thereof, and a. doublepropeller-blade secured centrally to said shaft, the portions of said blade extending on opposite sides of said shaft being reversely cambered and each having end walls extending from both sides thereof.

10. In an air ship or the like, propelling and lifting mechanism including a'rotary frame, a rotary shaft mounted on said frame, sub stantiallyparallel with the axis thereof, and a double propellei blade secured centrally to said shaft,'the portions of said blade extending on opposite sides of said shaft be ing reversely cambered and each having end walls extending from both sides thereof, each of said end walls being of elliptical form with its major axis substantially parallel with the plane of said blade.

11. The combination with an air ship or the like, of propelling and lifting mechanism including a rotary shaft arranged crosswise of the ship and a double, reversel vcambered propeller-blade secured to said shaft, said blade being located wholly outside of the hull of the ship and uncovered on all sides to expose all portions thereof to the air. V

12. The combination with an air ship or the like, of propelling and lifting mechanism including a rotary frame, a rotary propeller-shaft journaled on said frame substantially parallel with the axisthereof, a double propeller-blade secured centrally to said propeller-shaft and having the portions thereof on opposite sides of said shaft canibered in reverse directions, all portions of said blade being uncovered to fully expose the same to the air, and means for rel atively actuating said rotary elements at the ratio of substantially two revolutions of said frame for one revolution of said blade.

13. In a propelling mechanism for air ships and the like, the combination of a driving shaft, an arm extending radially from said shaft, a propeller-shaft journaled at the free end of said arm and arranged substantially parallel With said driving shaft, and double blades secured to said propeller-shaft on opposite sides of said arm, said blades extending at right angles to said propeller shaft and on both sides thereof and the portions of the blades on opposite sides of the propeller shaft being reversely cambered.v

let. In a propelling mechanism for air ships and the like, the combination of a driving shaft, diametrically opposite arms extending from said shaft, a. rotary propeller shaft journaled at the free end of each of said arms and arranged substantially parallel with said driving shaft, and double blades secured to each propeller-shaft on opposite sides of the corresponding arm, said blades extending at right angles to the propeller-shafts and on both sides thereof and the portions of the blades on opposite sides of the propeller-shaft being reversely cambered.

15. In an air ship or the like, a propelling and lifting mechanism includin a rotary frame, a rotary shaft journa led on said frame, and a double cambered blade secured centrally to said shaft and extending from diametrically opposite sides thereof, the portion of the blade on one side of the shaft being cambered in the reverse direction to the portion on the opposite side of the shaft, each blade-portion bein convex on its rear side and the concave ace of each blade portion merging smoothly into the convex rear surface of the other blade portion.

16. In an air ship or the like, a propelling and lifting mechanism, comprising a rotary frame, a rotary centrally-mounted propeller-blade carried by said frame, the members of said blade on opposite sides of its axis being reversely cambered, and means for rotating said frame and said blade at different speeds to cause the effective concave side of each blade-member to face the direction of travel of said rotary frame when on the outer side of the bladeaxis and while on the effective or working side of said frame, whereby each of said blade members is located farthest from the axis of said frame when in its effective position.

17. In an air ship or the like, a propelling and lifting mechanism, comprisin a rotary frame, a propeller-shaft journa ed on said frame substantially parallel with the axis thereof, a double blade secured centrally to said propeller-shaft, the members of said blade on opposite sides of the propeller shaft being reversely cambered, and means for relatively rotating said frame and said shaft at a ratio to cause the effective concave side of each blade-member to face the direction of travel of said rotary frame when projecting from the outer side of said shaft and while on the effective Working side of said frame, whereby each of said blade-members is located farthest from the axis of said frame When in its effective position.

CHARLES W. MANZEL.

I Certificate of Correction.-

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,487,872, granted March 2-5, 1924, upon the application of Charles V. Manzel of Buffalo, New York, for an improvement in Propelling Mechanism for Airships and the Like, errors appear in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 5, line 66, claim 17, strike out the word relatively, and line 67, for the words a ratio read (Zifl'erent speeds; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections'therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Otfice.

Signed and sealed this'6th day of May, A. D. 1924.

[SEAL] KARL FENN IN G,

Acting Uonmw'ssioner of Patents 

